Using video storytelling to keep viewers engaged is my favourite way to connect and I’m going to tell you how you can use it in your videos too.

Stories are so powerful and combined with video, we have the ability to change how someone sees our mission, the world around us and to make amazing, natural connections.

I’m going to show you how you can use stories in your videos so that you’re not competing for attention from the noisy newsfeed and how to stand out from the other ‘beige’ marketers. Because we’re not bland!

I’ll give you the video story framework to use too, so that you can tell your stories with video in a way that keeps the viewer hooked …

I’m Elaine and welcome! If you’ve not been here before, I give you information that I’ve found to work on my business building journey, that will give you the short cuts and fast track you to becoming visible and building yours.

What is a storytelling video?

So video story is not just for movies. Video storytelling connects humans together and builds strong connections and we can do this when we talk about what our viewer cares about.

So how do we take what we want to talk about and connect this to what our audience cares about?

Well, say for instance you’re a hair dresser and you want to get people into your local salon. You could create a video that  shows some great cuts or colours that you’ve done but talk about how having your hair done regularly makes you feel better in yourself. It makes you feel more in control of things when you feel better, gives you one less thing to think about, makes you look good and feel great, saves you time before a planned event etc.

All of the things and challenges that our viewers face everyday in life (such as being busy, never time for ourselves etc) and how you can help take some of the stress or problems away, as well as showing your expertise with the service you provide as a hairdresser. This is what our people care about, joy, ease in life and happiness. This touches their emotions, because in reality everyone wants to lead an easier, happier life and when they know that you understand how they feel, then they’re going to want to know more.

Another way to do this, I recently did an IGTV video on my Instagram channel, where I talked about storytelling with video. I like to do long and short form videos for my different platforms, and in that IGTV video I gave a little tour of our beautiful local village,  which added more interest and complemented the storytelling aspect. This video gave the viewer a little more insight into my life, where and how I live, that I live in a farming community, and this also communicated some of my values and interests.

This helps to attract the right person and repel the ones who aren’t.

It also builds trust and a more natural relationship, whilst I still gave valuable information. I also added snapshots of things of interest in our village to my Instagram stories, then linked these stories to that IGTV video, which you can do with a ‘swipe up’ even if you’ve less than 10k followers. Just add your video/image to your Instagram story then at the top of the screen click the ‘link’ icon and it allows you to click on IGTV and link to your videos in there.

So I was creating more awareness and a deeper connection with my audience on the Instagram platform. Creating a small content carousel like this can have a great impact and drives traffic round to your content for more ‘know, like and trustability’.

Ordinary things, things that hit people’s emotions can create changes and shifts which can result in a deeper bond. As Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.

And it’s so true, you can use your stories to communicate, teach and sell because your perspective of the story means what you want to make it to mean. You can take memories, happenings, things from your journey, things that you’ve seen in your day, anything at all, that you can tell the story, that relates to the struggles and desired results that your viewer is having and wanting, so that they can see themselves in your story.

Using these as your connection stories make your viewer think that you are their person when they can see themselves in your journey. They hear your story but it connects to theirs. They feel they are like you and when they see that you have done it they see that they can too.

How do you make a storytelling video?

To create a video like this, think of the destination you want to take them to, what’s the valuable quick win you can give them? and then work it backwards. Do this by configuring your story from a past experience that incorporates the value info, that ’hits them in the feels’ and takes them on the journey with you. So for instance, your aim may be may to encourage the viewer to not give up, but to tweek as they go to get the results that work, pretty much like we have to do with video because success isn’t always straight away. You could perhaps then tell the story of the bee that kept hitting the window when it tried to get out, but when it altered its trajectory by 1 degree and didn’t give up trying, it found the opening and flew out.

Video Storytelling Ideas

Videos that show them possibility, also work well. This is a video that shows them what’s possible when you work together when they see and understand that ‘people like us can do things like this’. I use this type of video when I talk about my membership ‘The Video Visibility Lab’, where I talk about what we can achieve together, with your video marketing.

I take them on the journey of not being confident to start with and having little or no tech skills and no audience and show them that it’s possible to create great videos quickly and easily to grow your email list. This is what’s possible when we do it together, and if this sounds like something of interest to you, here’s a link to the waitlist for the membership, ready for when the doors open.

Our viewers can see the light as we cast the vision that it’s possible for them and it’s a bit like a rally call or battle cry when they realise that they can go far with you and get those results that they want.

Video storytelling examples

Other video storytelling that you can create are ones that bust the viewers objections to buying, when it comes time to sell your courses or services. Create you own toolbox of micro stories that address the internal and external challenges that your audience have. so say for instance you sell an online course, external challenges that they may have are lack of time, money, fear of tech where internal challenges are confidence, fear of judgement, lack of self belief.

These can be case studies of who you’ve worked with or when you’ve seen what others have achieved. This basically shows the viewer that people like them have overcome the challenge they’re having, and have got the result they want. When you have these dialled in, you’ll understand them better than they understand themselves. Think of anything that’s holding them back, that you can show them, to help make progress. These are great videos to have to bust objections when they feel that they can’t buy your course because of how they feel.

Because telling these stories makes connection and selling easy, with out any force and creates a natural relationship.

So now the framework to use as I mentioned at the beginning of the video. Like in all good stories, films included, we need to create this in a sequence and it goes like this:

We have the key person (your ideal client) who has a problem (what they’re struggling with) who meets a guide to help (that’s you) they overcome the challenges and have some form of a transformation.

Video storytelling techniques …

You must position the story around your ideal client, from their view,  even though the story and journey is yours, that shows you can help them overcome the same things that you have and what you have achieved a result. Your viewer can then see themselves in your story and then believes that they can achieve the same journey as you.

Just about every film uses this framework for their story, take for instance Pretty Woman. Julia Roberts plays Vivien, a hooker (Key Person) who dreams of a happier life instead of struggling to pay the rent  (problem/struggle) who meets Edward (Richard Gere) the wealthy business man (he’s her guide) who helps her overcome the challenges (we all remember Rodeo Drive and the big mistake plus the polo match) and she has a transformation (to the person she wants to be with a fairytale ending).

So, there’s the key person, with a struggle, meets a guide, overcomes the challenges and has a transformation.

So have a play around with this, as with everything it’s trial and error but I’ve given you a few ideas to get started, plus grab my FREE Video Confidence 7 Day Booster Journal HERE to help you get past any confidence blocks as well as giving tips & hacks to be more confident on video plus your clarity steps. It’s 38 pages of goodness ..

You may also like this blog next that talks about creating a storyboard to plan out your videos or this blog that helps you to nail the struggles and worries of your ideal client so that you know what they’re thinking better that they do.

Take a look at my YouTube channel for other videos to help you grow your audience and build your business.